Ag and Rural Caucus for January 2025 Officers

News

The Elected Officer slate is now complete. Marty Gilmore (Jefferson County) is ARC Treasurer and Lisa Wolfe (Stevens County) is ARC Secretary. Don Schwerin is chair (Walla Walla County) and vice chairs are Robert Schutte (Pend Oreille County) and Teresa Purcell (Cowlitz County).

Our bylaws provide for appointment of Expert advisors: Article V Section 2.5: The ARC Chair may, after consultation with Executive Board officers and the Policy Committee, appoint up to five expert members as voting members. Such expert members serve at the pleasure of the Executive Board. Appointed Experts are Ron Wright (Wahkiakum County), Ormand Hilderbrand (Walla Walla County), Katie Haven (Okanogan County), Michael Sarratt (Lewis County), and Carl Baker (Benton County).
 
Adding county chairs to the Experts and Elected Officers creates ARC’s Policy Committee: Article VI: The Elected Officers, the chairs of the county Democratic party organizations, and the expert members approved by the Executive Board shall form the Policy Committee of the ARC, and shall set the legislative, advocacy, and education priorities of the ARC. Active county chairs are: Stephen Starr (Grant County), Kari Isaacson (Walla Walla County), Kathie Schutte (Pend Oreille County), Misty Muchlinski (Benton County), and ARC Secretary Lisa Wolfe.

ARC is a big tent. Membership definition is expansive: Invite your friends. Article IV.3: Any resident of Washington who supports the purpose of the ARC and agrees to be publicly identified as a Democrat.

Speaking of our Purpose…ARC is talk and education, and occasional advocacy. Article III: ARC shall identify existing problems and common goals as they relate to the agricultural and rural communities of Washington State. ARC shall join together in common cause through education, lobbying and demonstrating to advance and protect our rural and agricultural communities so vital to Washington State. ARC shall also assist Democratic Party Candidates in promoting and advising them on campaign issues and strategies. [What does "demonstrating" look like for us?]
 
ARC hands are tied regarding financial support of candidates. ARC can advise but not much more. Article XI: The ARC will not provide any contribution to candidates that would require a filing with the PDC, FEC or any other elections authority. This includes monetary and in-kind contributions on behalf of the Caucus.
 
I thank Ron Wright for streamlining our website: arcwashdems.wordpress.com. Headings and source documents have moved to Archive. Content is now the posts from our monthly activity.
 
I thank also Anne Udaloy (King County) – our non-voting Expert! – for stepping up to school us in VoteBuilder and other data bases at several points this year. Anne has also volunteered to engage in mutual learning about different messaging in blue and red Washington, and to carry our experiences back across the Great Divide. I will ask Glenn Rudolph (Kittitas County) to keep us honest.

Don
3 January 2025

Policy Briefing
6:30 pm Thursday 16 January
Harold Miller, Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform
Shane McGuire, CEO, Columbia County Health System
Stopping the Loss of Rural Health Care Services

A common myth about small rural hospitals is that almost all of their revenues come from Medicare or Medicaid, but the fact is, on average, more than half of the services at small rural hospitals are delivered to patients with private insurance.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85907982157?pwd=MU4vV3E3VGZ5VU02dnhvZjg2b3hKZz09

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